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Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Herman Leonard, 1923 - 2010
Sitter
Frank Sinatra, 12 Dec 1915 - 14 May 1998
Date
1958 (printed 1998)
Type
Photograph
Medium
Selenium-toned gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 39.5 × 30.4cm (15 9/16 × 11 15/16")
Sheet: 50.5 × 40.5cm (19 7/8 × 15 15/16")
Frame: 71.8 × 56.5 × 3.8 cm (28 1/4 × 22 1/4 × 1 1/2")
Topic
Equipment\Sound Devices\Microphone
Equipment\Smoking Implements\Cigarette
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Bowtie
Frank Sinatra: Male
Frank Sinatra: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer
Frank Sinatra: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie actor
Frank Sinatra: Oscar
Frank Sinatra: Presidential Medal of Freedom
Frank Sinatra: Congressional Gold Medal
Frank Sinatra: Grammy
Portrait
Place
Monaco\Monte-Carlo\Monte Carlo
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Herman Leonard Photography LLC
Object number
NPG.2014.111.25
Exhibition Label
Hailed as “the first modern pop superstar,” Frank Sinatra also found favor with jazz enthusiasts who valued his enduring sense of “swing.” Sinatra launched his singing career in his native New Jersey, and scored a breakthrough in 1939 when an engagement at a local nightclub led to his recruitment as a vocalist with Harry James’s big band. Six months later, he switched to Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra where, backed by the Pied Pipers, he recorded his first chart-topping single—“I’ll Never Smile Again” (1940). A string of hits followed, and in 1942 Sinatra embarked on a solo career that flourished for several years before suffering a steep decline. An Oscar-winning role in the film From Here to Eternity (1953) helped revive his fortunes, as did a contract with Capitol Records. No longer a young crooner, Sinatra now expressed a hipness and worldly sophistication in his singing that was perfectly in tune with the times.
Frank Sinatra, “la primera superestrella de la canción popular moderna”, también gozó del favor de los amantes del jazz que valoraban su consistente sentido del swing. Sinatra inició su carrera de cantante en su natal New Jersey y en 1939 dio el paso definitivo cuando, a raíz de su actuación en un club local, Harry James lo contrató para su big band. Seis meses después pasó a la orquesta de Tommy Dorsey. Con esta, y acompañado por las voces de los Pied Pipers, grabó su primer sencillo que llegó al tope de las listas de popularidad, “I’ll Never Smile Again” (1940). A esto siguió una cadena de éxitos y en 1942 Sinatra emprendió una carrera de solista que prosperó por varios años antes de un abrupto declive. Su suerte cambió en 1953, cuando ganó un Oscar por su actuación en la película From Here to Eternity y obtuvo un contrato con Capitol Records. Pasada la etapa de joven crooner, Sinatra ahora proyectaba en sus canciones una modernidad y sofisticación mundana en perfecta sintonía con los tiempos.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view